


You're Never Alone

by scarletladyy



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: Attempted Rape, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-27
Updated: 2010-09-27
Packaged: 2017-10-12 06:06:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/121657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarletladyy/pseuds/scarletladyy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermione finds herself being stalked by Lucius Malfoy, who was released from Azkaban only a few months ago. However, he didn't come out with as much restraint as he went in with.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You're Never Alone

Hermione glanced out of the large front window as she put the new books away, focusing on the people running past. It was a cold and stormy day, and the image outside was blurred with droplets of rain running off the old windowpanes. She tore her head away to focus on the task at hand, as she always did, and filed the pieces of fiction in alphabetical order by author. It was a job she found peaceful and soothing, and though she couldn't explain why to anyone else, she felt it was quite rewarding. She often took it upon herself to read the new books, to vet them, so to speak, so she could recommend them should anyone inquire.

One of Hermione's favourite things about the job was introducing someone to a book they later fell in love with, and being able to discuss plot points at length afterwards. She absolutely loved to see the looks on their faces when they found out a new plot twist and came to talk to her about it, so she attempted to read every book that came in the shop, to do just that. Of course, there were always the customers that didn't want to talk at lengths with Hermione about their books, so she usually just let them get on their way, glad to be rid of them.

But today had been a good day so far, so when the little bell rang to signal someone had walked through the door, Hermione turned around and brightly smiled.

"Miss Granger?"

Hermione's smile faded quickly as she realised the man closing the door behind him was Lucius Malfoy. "That is me," she confirmed, trying not to show the disdain on her face, because now-a-days she always tried to give everyone a second chance.

"I would never have thought I'd find you here," Lucius remarked as he walked over to the counter, staring profusely at her.

"Yes, well, I work here," Hermione said as politely as she could. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

Lucius shook his head and turned around to face the majority of the books. "No, I think I'll just browse."

"As you wish," said Hermione, picking up more of the new books and placing them on the shelves behind her. She was extremely surprised to see Lucius in the shop, he didn't seem the type to 'browse' at a tiny, local bookshop like hers. Still, perhaps he had nothing to do but read after the second Wizarding war was over, for nobody was willing to hire him. As he moved between the small bookshelves, Hermione couldn't help but keep her eye on him, she didn't trust him one little bit.

"Oh!" Lucius piped up after several minutes of silent search. "I have been looking for this book everywhere."

Hermione looked around curiously to see Lucius holding _A War To Remember_ by Rita Skeeter. As far as Hermione was concerned, it was a hateful, volatile book with many lies and twisted realities about life in the second Wizarding war. As such, most bookshops had stopped stocking it, however Hermione's boss was adamant that they sold it, and kept up regular stock, for those who couldn't find it anywhere else. Therefore it didn't surprise Hermione that Lucius Malfoy of all people would want a copy of it, for it painted him in quite a generous light, though she suspected that was more to do with how much he donated to Skeeter at the time.

"I'll have this," Lucius said as he walked up and placed it on the counter.

"Certainly," Hermione smiled weakly at him, and began to run it through the till. "That'll be five galleons, please."

"Five galleons?" Lucius seemed aghast, though Hermione wasn't quite sure why as she'd always known him to be rolling in money. "That's a bloody rip off, that is."

"I'm sorry, Sir," replied Hermione, "but as we are the only bookshop we know of that stocks it, our price is significantly higher than the average retail price of a book."

"Cheating Mudbloods," Lucius muttered under his breath as he dropped the money on the counter. "Tell me, does a Mudblood own this shop?"

"That is none of your business," said Hermione, feeling her blood boil with every word he said. "You are free to shop elsewhere if we aren't to your satisfaction."

Lucius grumbled as he picked up the book, and Hermione guessed he'd been all over just to try and find a copy, so he could hardly shop elsewhere. For a few moments, Lucius seemed to freeze in time as he stared completely at Hermione, not averting his gaze. He looked her up and down, very slowly, and seemed to take in everything about her.

"Have a nice day," Hermione said loudly, hoping it would snap him out of his staring. It worked, and seconds later he had slammed the shop door behind him, causing several books to fall off the shelves around the door. Sighing, Hermione went over and began to place them back in order on the shelves, hoping she wouldn't have to put up with him again.

*

"Excuse me, Miss?"

Hermione turned her attentions to the tired old man in front of the counter. "Yes, Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"

"I was wondering if you had _An Anthology of Eighteenth Century Charms_?"

"Indeed, we do," Hermione smiled and walked over to the other side of the bookshop, where the historical books were kept. As she bent down to pick it up she heard the bell ding to signal another customer, but this wizard didn't seem to want to let her attentions go.

"What about _Gadding with Ghouls_? It's by Gilderoy Lockhart," the man stated, but Hermione already knew that.

"Over here," said Hermione, showing him where the books on magical creatures were. Sometimes she couldn't understand why customers refused to peruse for themselves, and she was usually all too happy to oblige, but when she saw the customer that had just walked in was Lucius Malfoy, again, she wanted to focus all her attentions on him. "There you are," she said, handing the wizard the book and attempting to get a better view of exactly what Lucius was doing.

"And how about _Broken Balls: When Fortunes Turn Foul_?"

Inwardly, Hermione sighed. This man was more than capable of finding his odd book choices all by himself, heck, he could even use the Accio charm, but he didn't seem bothered. Keeping calm and remembering how much she loved her job was the only thing that stopped her blowing up in his face, for what she really wanted to do was keep an eye on Malfoy, who seemed to be lingering by the counter. "Here," snapped Hermione, though smiling as she passed over the book. "Is that all?"

"Er --" The wizard looked over his shoulder before speaking again. "No."

"What else would you like?" Hermione said, noting that the little bell rang to signal someone had either entered or left, and when she looked around to see if there were any new customers, she noticed Lucius had gone.

"Yes, yes. That's all," the wizard said, hurrying over to the counter and placing his books on top. He threw her a whole bag of galleons, that were much more than what the books would have actually cost, and then nearly ran out of the shop.

 _How strange_ , Hermione thought as she put away the money, and as she puzzled over it she completely forgot Lucius Malfoy had even been in the shop at all.

*

The one day off that Hermione had during the week was, ironically, always spent reading. She loved nothing more, and had so many books on her schedule she didn't have time to do anything else. Particularly not when all her friends wereoff planning weddings or having children, and she found she just didn't fit in with them that much anymore. Generally she saw them every holiday, such as Easter and Christmas, as well as birthdays, but other than that, they hardly spoke, since they didn't have much to say in the first place.

Hermione had just started to delve into _He Flew Like a Madman_ when Athena, her tawny owl, flew into the living room with this morning's post. She always found it quite nerve-wracking, as she was forever worried she'd forgotten some engagement or other, or hadn't kept up with her bills, since she hardly ever got personal letters. There were two letters in Athena's mouth, one was bright red with little hearts all over it and the other was just the usual brown.

Intrigued by the red letter, that would have looked like a Howler had the hearts not been attached to it, Hermione ripped it open. She wasn't dating anyone and hadn't for a long time, so she was quite curious to find out who it was from. She took out the parchment and began to read.

 _Dearest Hermione,  
It has come to my attention that you are all alone in his world, and that just won't do. If you ever wish for happiness, meet me at Madam Puddifoots today at noon.  
Yours,  
Secret Admirer_

"Secret Admirer?" she spoke aloud, a little apprehensive, and ashamed as she was to acknowledge it, a little schoolgirl giddiness crept over her.

After spending most of the morning pondering on whether to meet this man, or woman, because even though the war was over not all the Death Eaters had been rounded up, she decided she should go for it. She hardly did anything for herself and this made a nice change. Besides, if it didn't work out, she could always use the excuse that she had to work in the afternoon.

So, clad in her favourite red robes, she left her flat and Apparated to Hogsmeade, walking along the street and smiling at passers-by until she came to the cafe. It was quite busy, with only two tables to spare, and there wasn't anyone sat on their own so she must have arrived a little early.

"Hermione Granger?"

Hermione spun round at the sound of her name to see a waitress standing in front of her holding a menu. "Yes, that's me," she smiled, wanting to ask how the woman knew her name, but knowing it was probably due to her war efforts. The waitress led her to the table in the corner and seated her comfortably before handing her the menu.

"Your date should be here soon," the waitress smiled and skipped off, and Hermione was curious as to how this woman knew why she was there. Being logical, Hermione came to the conclusion that it was because nobody ever dined in Madam Puddifoots on their own. She glanced at the menu, and became so engrossed at it that she didn't notice someone sit down opposite her.

"I wasn't sure you'd come."

Hermione felt chills run down her spine; she recognised that voice. She'd recognise it anywhere, and when she looked up, her suspicious were confirmed. "Lucius Malfoy? _You_ sent the letter?"

"I did," he replied.

"But... why?"

"That's not your concern," he responded as he mulled over the menu.

"Whatever you're doing, I don't want to be a part of it," Hermione said strictly, standing up and dropping the menu onto the table in front of her. "I've got work to go to."

"Oh no you don't," Lucius sneered, grabbing her arm as she tried to walk away.

Hermione fiercely tried to yank her arm out of his grip, but he was a lot stronger than she and held onto it tightly. "Get off me," she spat. "People are starting to stare."

"I won't forget this, Granger," Lucius said sternely as he dropped her arm like it was burning hot. "You'll regret it. Mark my words, girl."

Putting his words down to empty threats, Hermione stormed out of the cafe, ignoring the fact that she bumped into a couple of tables on the way. She just wanted to get out of there, to get back home, but then she remembered the letter had been sent to her flat, so he knew where she lived. _How did he got hold of my address?_ she thought as she Apparated.

*

When Hermione opened up the bookshop the next morning she noticed a piece of parchment had been shoved through the letterbox. It was crumpled up, but still legible, and had the words _'You'll pay for that, Mudblood'_ on it. Hermione instantly knew the sender, even with no name. She didn't have any idea why he'd asked her to the cafe, and she was pretty sure it couldn't have been for a date with her, because the idea was ludicrous, and as curious as she was, she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

Ideally, she'd forget the whole situation ever occurred, but this note seemed to indicate that Lucius wasn't going to go down without a fight, and whatever he was fighting for she didn't want to know, as long as it wasn't her.

The shop was pretty quiet for most of the day, but she felt as though she was being watched, and every now and then kept flicking her eyes to where she swore there was movement. There never was, though, and she was driving herself crazy. She knew it was because of Lucius' threats, but she was also sure he wouldn't go through with them. The Wizarding world was a lot different these days, and Lucius didn't have any power or standing anymore -- he'd only come out of Azkaban a few months ago.

Hermione physically shuddered as she thought of that dreadful place, and didn't know how people survived there without going crazy. Though, she admitted to herself, after Bellatrix Lestrange had come out completely insane, it seemed it was rare that someone _did_ come out sane. _Perhaps he's...._ Hermione entertained the idea that he was mad himself, but he hadn't really seemed to act like it. Yes, his actions were odd and particularly creepy, but that didn't mean he was insane. _Either way, whether he's mad or not, I should be on top form, just incase_ , she thought to herself.

It may not be wartime anymore, but Lucius Malfoy was a former Death Eater, and where they were concerned, she didn't fancy taking any chances, so as she left the shop that night she made sure to check the street before setting off. Her flat was only a couple of streets away, so it made no sense to Apparate. Plus, she enjoyed the walk; it gave her time to think about things. As she turned the corner into her own street, she suddenly felt herself being pressed against the wall by an invisble force.

"Well, well, Mudblood."

Hermione looked up to see the cold, steel grey eyes of Lucius staring back at her as he took off what appeared to be an invisibilty cloak. She briefly wondered where he'd got one from, but as he held her pinned to the wall, she realised she had more pressing matters to deal with.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" she asked tentatively as she slowly felt around for her wand, which was usually in her back pocket.

"Looking for this?" Lucius said coldly, holding her wand up in front of her. She reached out to grab it, but he was too quick for her and threw it across the street. She stared at it for a few moments before meeting Lucius' eyes and glaring into them. "I told you I'd make you pay, Mudblood. We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"And the easy way is?" Hermione asked on the off chance it would be something she'd be willing to do.

Lucius smiled sickeningly. "Go on a date with me."

"What?" Hermione said aghast, almost laughing at such an idea. "You've got to be joking."

"No." Lucius face was not smiling anymore; he seemed to be deadly serious.

"But... why? What? It doesn't make any sense... I'm a ' _Mudblood_ ' and you're a Pureblood. Why would you want to go on a date with _me_? You know what, I'm not even going to discuss this. The whole thing is utterly ludicrous, so if you've finished I'd like to leave please." Her words came out confident, but inside she was trembling a little, for she was wandless and alone in a empty street with a former Death Eater who wanted a _date_ with her.

"I've been tossing and turning with the notion for months myself," Lucius spat, looking at her with contempt. "But I just can't get you out of my head, and I can only see one way to get rid of you."

"And that is?"

Lucius laughed. "Are you that naive, girl? I want to fuck you. Just the once. Then you can go on your merry way and pretend it never happened."

"You're kidding," she said, scanning his face for any signs that he was having her on. "You have to be. You're mad if you think I would ever sleep with the likes of you."

"Perhaps I am mad," Lucius said darkly. "But either way, I want you Granger, and I'm not going to stop until I get you."

Seriously worried and scared, Hermione used all her strength and kicked out at Lucius, leading him to drop his hold on her. She ran across the street and gathered her wand, casting _Petrificus Totalus_ on him before charging straight home and locking the door twofold behind her.

Still, it didn't stop her from casting many complicated magical wards, and when she was finished, she slid down the door and buried her head in her knees. She'd thought when the war was won that this sort of fear would be over with, but now Lucius was out of Azkaban it seemed as though she had to protect herself as though it were wartime all over again.

*

Hermione spent the next week locked in her flat, giving her boss very short notice that she was having a weeks paid holiday. She usually wouldn't do something so inconsiderate, but he never worked anyway, and she didn't want to go back to the bookshop just yet. She read many of the books she'd been meaning to catch up on for a while, so it wasn't such a waste, and she really enjoyed it. Besides, she needed the time off, and believed that once she went back to work the Lucius problem would have disappeared entirely.

So, as she walked into the bookshop that morning, she was extremely pleased to see no notes stuffed under the door. She felt herself start to relax and made her way round to the counter... where there _was_ a note.

 _Hermione,  
Did you really think you could make me forget about you by not turning up to work? I know exactly what you've been doing this week, even down to the books you've been reading, my dear. How did you find_Sonnets of a Sorcerer _, by the way?_

Hermione gasped and dropped the letter; that was the last book she'd read and she felt her heart start to race as she wondered how on earth Lucius Malfoy could possibly know that. He must be stalking her, but she hadn't left the house all week, so how did he manage to see inside her flat? So much so that he'd managed to catch the books she was reading...

Gulping, Hermione blinked back tears and looked around the shop. Not only had he managed to get inside her flat, he must have got inside the shop too, for that was the only way he'd have been able to leave that note there. She ran to the door and locked it shut, placing several charms around it. If her boss asked, she'd just have to say she was doing the stock-take and didn't want to be interrupted. She went through into the back room to collect her thoughts, but as she switched on the lights a loud scream erupted from her.

"Quiet now, Miss Granger. We don't want to alert the neighbours, do we?" Lucius Malfoy was leaning casually against the back wall of the room, wand in hand and smirking at her.

"What are you doing here? How did you get in?" she asked desperately, backing away from him towards the door behind her. "How did you see inside my flat?"

"So many questions, so little time," Lucius mused, pointing his wand at the door and slamming it shut. Hermione turned around and pulled at the doorknob in an attempt to free herself from this desperate situation, but the door didn't move. She grabbed her wand from her back pocket, but the spells she conjured didn't seem to have any affect on the dark magic Lucius must've used. "You won't get it open, Mudblood."

" _Petrificus Totalus_!" she yelled at him as she swung around, but he was ready for her and knocked her wand out of her hand with a simple _Expelliarmus_. She watched in fear as her wand flew across the room and landed at Lucius' feet. He swiftly bent down to pick it up and pocketed it.

"What do you want?" Hermione yelled, her back pressed against the door.

Lucius stepped towards her slowly. "I believe I've already told you what I want, Miss Granger."

"I'm not sleeping with you," she spat, looking at him with contempt. "You're vile! And you must be mad if you're even thinking about it."

"Yes, indeed," Lucius agreed. "I do believe I must have gone crazy, but you see, unless I fuck you, you're never going to stop bothering me. And we just can't have that now, can we?"

"I don't see why not," Hermione muttered, eyeing him suspiciously as he stood in front of her.

"Because I don't want a filthy Mudblood in my head, that's why not," Lucius snapped, banging his cane on the floor.

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Yet you're perfectly happy to have a ' _filthy Mudblood_ ' in your bed?"

"Shut up," Lucius sneered, his lip curled in agitation. "I might be paying you attention but that doesn't give you a right to disrespect me."

"Disrespect you?" Hermione laughed. "Just... have you been stalking me?"

Lucius cocked his head to the side. "What does it look like?" She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I have, and it was pretty easy to do. I would have thought safety would have been a primary concern for someone like you, in spite of the fact the war ended years ago. I knew before I cornered you in the street you'd probably lock yourself up, so I installed a camera in there while you were at work earlier that day. You're never alone as long as I'm around, Mudblood."

"You sick fuck!" Hermione gasped. "You vile pig!"

"It would also appear your boss doesn't care too much for this place, since I didn't even need to break in to place the letter on the desk when I found out you would be coming back to work," Lucius said simply, and that really didn't surprise Hermione. Her boss had always been careless, leaving everything to her. "So, back to business. How would you like it, dear?"

With all the strength Hermione could muster, she brought her knees up and aimed them straight into Lucius' groin. Unprepared for her reaction, he keeled over and to the floor, and she wasted no time in grabbing her wand.

"Even if you knock me out, Mudblood, you still can't leave this room," he sneered at her as she brought her wand up and paralysed him.

Tip-toeing around the now harmless body of Lucius Malfoy, Hermione went straight over to the door and started to conjure up the most complex spells she could think of. She tried to remember everything she'd ever learnt in Defence Against The Dark Arts, and everything she'd ever read from the bookshop. As she pressed on her brain she remembered a spell she'd read about in _The Dark Arts Outsmarted_. It was an obscure spell, and it wouldn't work on everything, but she thought it was at least worth a try.

Before Hermione cast the spell, she looked behind her just to make sure Lucius was out cold, then turned back round and pointed her wand towards the door. To her genuine surprise as she tried the doorknob, it opened for her, and she smiled briefly before running into the front of the shop, undoing her spells and slamming the door behind her. She put a locking spell on it, but if Lucius woke up, she didn't doubt he'd probably be able to get rid of it.

Once into the street she Apparated straight into the Ministry of Magic.

*

"Now what seems to be the problem, Miss Granger?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and took a deep breath before speaking; she'd explained this at least twice to him already, but he didn't want to discuss it until they were firmly in his office. "As I've already said, Lucius Malfoy has been stalking me, and he just trapped me in the bookshop I work at and tried to rape me!"

Mr Prevot, the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol, sat forward in his chair and looked at her sternly. "You're telling me that Lucius Malfoy, who was only recently released from Azkaban, tried to rape _you_?"

"Yes," Hermione said through gritted teeth. "I actually think Azkaban might have sent him insane."

Mr Prevot laughed. "Perhaps. Forgive me, Miss Granger, but doesn't Mr Malfoy have a certain dislike for you?"

"He does, but he said he couldn't stop thinking about me and it wouldn't go away unless he... you know," Hermione said awkwardly. "I just want something to be done about this. Unless he's locked up again I don't think he's going to leave me alone."

"I won't be locking him up, Miss Granger, but I tell you what I will do. I'll send a Psychiatrist around to the Manor tomorrow to assess him. If he's found to be sane then I'm afraid there's nothing I can do, but if it turns out you're right, and that he is indeed mentally unstable, then I'll have him admitted to St Mungo's for being a danger to the public. Is that enough?"

Hermione didn't think it was, but there was hardly anything she could do about it. "Fine, I'll be back here to see the results tomorrow."

"I'm sure you will." Mr Prevot held out his arm. "A pleasure, as always, Miss Granger."

Reluctantly Hermione shook his hand. "Hang on, what am I supposed to do in the meantime?"

"I'm sure there are friends you can stay with," Mr Prevot smiled at her and indicated for her to leave. She did so, and found herself trying to hold her temper as she left the building and Apparated to the Burrow, hoping she'd be welcome after all this time.

Apprehensively she knocked on the door and was greeted by Molly, who seemed extremely pleased to see her.

"Hermione, dear!" Molly pulled her into a large hug and called out to the rest of the house. "Hermione's here!"

Down the stairs came Ron, and though he smiled at her, she guessed he wasn't too pleased to see her. Their break up had been quite messy, and then she'd found out he'd been seeing Lavender again.

"Hi, Ron," Hermione smiled at him. "Molly, I was wondering if I could perhaps stay the night?"

Molly nodded. "Of course, dear, I'll just go and make up Ginny's old room."

This left Hermione and Ron in a bit of an awkward situation. "How are you doing?" she asked after a few moments of silence. "Is there nobody else here?"

"Dad's upstairs, and I'm fine. You?" Ron's hands were in his pockets and he was looking at the floor, as though examining all the tiles.

"Yes, yes, good," she replied, taking a seat at the kitchen table. She really didn't want to tell the whole sorry story of Lucius, since she knew Ron would probably fly off the handle in spite of their history.

"Well, I'd better get back to my, er..." Just as Ron spoke there was a girlish squeal from upstairs.

"Come on, Ron!"

It was the unmistable voice of Lavender.

"Yes, you get back to Lavender," Hermione said, her voice a little annoyed. She didn't have feelings for him anymore, but it still hurt to know he was with _her_. Ron didn't say anything as he climbed the stairs, and Hermione was once again left alone.

*

"Well?" Hermione said boldly as she stormed into Mr Prevot's office the following afternoon.

Mr Prevot looked uncomfortable. "It seems... it seems you were right, Miss Granger. He is indeed mentally unstable."

"I knew it," Hermione muttered under her breath, realising Lucius must have easily got past the spell she'd placed on the bookshop. "So you've admitted him to St Mungo's?"

"Yes," Mr Prevot said as he nodded. "I don't think he'll be seeing daylight again for a very long time. He seemed to react quite violently, so I'm told, and as they took him away he was screaming your name over and over."

Hermione shuddered, thankful that she was a powerful witch and a strong person, or she wouldn't have been able to get out of the situation Lucius had put her in. "Thank you. Good day to you."

"Good day, Miss Granger," Mr Prevot smiled apologetically at her.

Hermione turned to leave, but stopped in her tracks as her hand grazed the doorknob. "Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes?" Mr Prevot asked suspiciously.

"I'm going to be applying for a job here. I'd like the law to take people seriously in future, Mr Prevot, and that's exactly what I intend to do when I get the job." There was no _if_ she got the job in that statement, for it was a well known fact that Hermione could have pretty much any job she wanted in the Wizarding world. As much as Hermione loved her little bookshop, she also realised that it was time to move on, and she wanted to be able to help people.

"I see," said Mr Prevot, gulping and trying to hide his clear annoyance. "I look forward to your application."

Hermione smiled sweetly before opening the door. "Oh, I'm sure you'll simply love it."


End file.
